Electrical components are used throughout virtually all industries. One characteristic of most electrical components is that they often produce heat during operation. While this heat is not a problem in many applications, other applications dictate that excess heat be sufficiently removed from the applicable electrical components in order to prevent damage or malfunctioning of the electrical components or of other components of an associated system.
There are numerous ways in which heat is typically removed from a heat source such as an electrical component. For example, a heat source may be thermally coupled to a heat sink having a higher thermal conductivity and/or lower temperature than the heat source. In doing so, heat produced by the heat source continuously flows from the heat source to the heat sink where it may be dissipated into the ambient environment. While this solution may be relatively simple and cost effective, one disadvantage is that because the heat source and heat sink are continuously coupled to one another, heat or cold may undesirably flow in a reverse direction from the ambient environment to the electrical component during times in which the component is not producing excess heat.
Another conventional method for removing excess heat from a heat source is to use a radiator or other heat exchanger. There are numerous types of heat exchangers, most of which utilize a coolant or airflow circulated around the heat source to remove the excess heat. A disadvantage to these conventional systems is that they may be too bulky and expensive. In addition, many of these conventional systems require pumps or actuators, which presents potential reliability issues.
Due to the size and operational parameters of many conventional heat exchange systems, these systems must be incorporated into an implementation early during the design phase of the system. However, there may be applications in which it is desirable to provide or supplement heat removal capabilities after the corresponding heat-producing system is in production or operation. In these applications, it may be desirable that the heat removal solution be compact and simple, allowing for the application and even customization of the heat removal solution for a particular component or portion of a heat-producing system.
Accordingly, there exists a need for a simplified, compact, and cost effective device and system that selectively provides a heat flow path from a heat source to a heat sink only during operational periods in which excess heat is generated. It is with respect to these considerations and others that the disclosure made herein is presented.